Touch
by Neferit
Summary: ... or all those times Jim and Bones touched and everyone thought they are in relationship. Only they weren't, are not and never will be.


**A/N:** Sooo, I really should stop browsing the memes, when I'm supposed to write essays... Anyway, there was one spectaculous prompt at **buckleup_meme**:

_Bones and Kirk are BFF, but everyone things they are totally doing it. This is probably because of all the touching and shit. I wanna see needy!Kirk, with lots of intimate but non sexual touching. Cuddling, back-rubs, lap sitting, etc. I would love to see this from the Academy to the Enterprise._

And hey, this needs to be written!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but my cup of (now) cold coffee. But if I had a toy _Enterprise_...

* * *

**Touch**

**One.**

The first time they touch, is during the shuttle ride to San Francisco. Jim was doing rather good job of making Leonard to think about everything but the fact that he's flying in a shuttle, but in the middle of the whole flight Bones looked around while trying to prove some point and bloody hells, his eyes fell on the window, the wastes of space dark behind the glass. His breath caught in his throat and when he didn't respond to something Jim just said, Jim looked around about what is wrong.

Without thinking, he grabbed Leonard's hand, pressing it so tightly it hurt a little, making Leonard gasp in pain and look at him. "Leonard," he said quietly, laying his other hand on Leonard's knee, "do not look there. Look at me or close your eyes and just listen to what I'm saying, okay?"

Leonard nodded, closed his eyes and just listened to Jim's voice while almost desperately clinging to his hand, pressing it at irregular intervals to assure himself that he is not completely alone and Jim always presses his hand back, talking to him in quiet voice, telling him about what they probably can expect in San Francisco, and about his motorbike, about Iowa...

It didn't matter in the end, as quite a few of cadets who saw them back then immediately though "oh, these two must have met before - see how intimate they are with each other!"

No one bothered to find out why exactly Jim held Leonard's hand. And they... Well, they didn't feel the need to fill anyone on that matter anyway.

**Two.**

It was near the end of the first semester, the time when most of the people who weren't the Starfleet stock would be washed out, when Bones had the shuttle flight examination. He, Jim and the Starfleet psychologists were working on his aviophobia, Jim spending most of his free time with Bones in one of the shuttles, helping him to get used to the feeling of being strapped in the seat, the thoughts of being surrounded by the space.

When Bones finally left the shuttle, pale with light shades of green but his eyes bright with success, Jim hugged him and Leonard held him back tightly, whispering "thank you" into the ear of the younger man, Jim smiling gently at that.

**Three.**

It had been in their second year at the Academy that Jim got several of his ribs either cracked or bruised during the combat classes. And of course the medic had to be the least competent medic of all available at the Starfleet medical, giving Jim painkiller which was clearly listed in Jim's records as stuff he was allergic to.

It took agonizing minute before Bones managed to scramble a hypo which would help Jim breathe again. As he yells at the medic for incompetency and bloody hells, who let you pass exams in class about allergies, he lets his fingers brush through Jim's hair, helping to calm the man down, so he doesn't faint in hyperventilation.

When Jim can breathe calmly again, he catches the hand and presses it to his lips tenderly. And Bones just gives him one of his rare relieved smiles, the worried lines of his face softening, as he passes his hand through Jim's hair one last time.

**Four.**

It's day before one really bad exam and Bones is so tired he can't see straight. His eyes just won't focus on the most important parts of his notes, as he sat in the library and he was almost going to just give up and hope for the best when Jim landed on the seat next to him.

"Hello Bonesy!" he said with bright smile, peering at what Bones was reading. "Ah, the diplomacy stuff, yeah?"

"Yeah," grumbled Bones. "Can't remember a thing and let's say that my eyes refuse to cooperate with me on this."

"Not a problem, Bonesy - that's what you got me for!" replied Jim, shamelessly moving over to sit on Leonard's lap, leaving the older man only the option to lay his chin on his shoulder as he looked at what Jim was pointing out on the PADD. "So, let's see... the Andorian protocol..."

If any of them heard the fellow cadets mumbling something about "get some room, you two", they didn't move a bit to actually do so. Not to mention that after the quick brainstorming with Jim, he passed the exam with flying colours.

**Five.**

Jim managed to pass the damn exam with the best results in last twenty years. When he runs from the class, he almost jumps Leonard in the corridors, almost knocking him to the ground with the force of his movements. Before Leonard knows it, Jim's lips are pressed on his cheek and Jim is laughing merrily at his success, making Leonard respond to him with a small smile of his own, as he kisses Jim's cheek in return.

It was good to see the kid so joyful.

**Six.**

After the _Narada_ incident and all the work-your-ass-off time after its destruction, Jim is barely able to function anymore. His whole body hurts like hell, every muscle painfully showing how over-worked it had been and his ribs are definitely not going to get any better. Three occasions of choking also are not good for your health, Jim decided, as he made his way to the sickbay. Leonard nags at him, mostly just to show he cares than speak with any real bad feelings, and Jim actually gave him no trouble, as the doctor was healing his wounds and easing the pains.

Jim would kill for a place to sleep, but when you are not supposed to be on a spaceship, you are also not supposed to have a bed of your own. Yeah. Being stowaway sucks pretty badly.

"You ought to get some sleep, Jimbo," says Leonard and from him it sounds like the simplest thing in the world. And it would be the simplest thing in the world, given how tired he is – but the lack of any sleeping place remains.

"Nowhere to go, Bones – so unless you got a spare bed, I'm going to just stay here and look pretty," he answers, smiling thinly at the scowling doctor.

"Get up, kid," Bones blurted, causing the younger man to look up in wonder. "You going with me, idiot," grumbled the doctor. "We can share."

Few minutes later Jim snuggled close to his friend, burrowing his nose in his neck. It was great to have a friend like that.

**Seven.**

When they finally reached the Earth, almost every single one of them got whisked away for report. Again and again is Jim being called upon meetings with Admiralty, the admirals asking about every single second of the whole mission, ever since when the emergency call came, throughout the Battle of Vulcan, to the time he somehow managed to get to _Enterprise_ again and ending in limping back home.

And heavens, his head was just killing him after yet another day like that. He felt a bit like _Enterprise_; beaten and bruised, limping home only to crash.

Bones was already home, sipping coffee from a steaming mug, while he was reading a PADD, when Jim came back. Looking up, he asked: "So, how did it go? The higher ups giving you hell?"

"You have no idea," grimaced Jim, stealing Bones' mug and sipping the coffee, for once the doctor letting it be, motioning for Jim to sit down. "One would have thought that telling them the same things ten times would be enough."

The comm whistled loudly, announcing new message, making Jim wince.

"Headache again?" guessed Bones. Without waiting for Jim's reply, he got to his feet, walked around the sofa they were sitting on and placed his hands immediately in Jim's hair.

"Bones?" asked Jim.

"Just something to lessen the headache, kid."

Well, if Jim fell asleep during the short massage Bones gave him, and he responded to the message several hours later, there was no one to tell on him.

**Eight. **

When Jim received the captaincy of _Enterprise_, there had been huge gala after the event – lots of drinking, talking, surprisingly good food and… yes. The doom of Bones' life – dancing.

It wasn't that he was so clumsy or had no ear for music. He just didn't like being on the dance floor, where everyone would stare at him and think him an idiot.

Of course, it was just what Jim thought was a great idea – drag him right in the middle of the dance floor.

"You damn idiot!" hissed Leonard angrily. "Everyone is looking at us!"

"Let them look, Bones," replied Jim, his voice soft. "Just this one dance and I'll accompany you back to the bar." His eyes showed the vulnerability the younger man usually preferred to hide in front of the world – he knew he was inexperienced in command, and that the world was just waiting for a first fuck-up he manages to do.

Leonard sighed. 'Fine,' he thought, 'one dance and then I'll spend the rest of the evening by drinking bourbon.' He wrapped his arms around Jim, feeling Jim's arms wrapping themselves around him in return, slowly swaying in the music.

He didn't quite remember how he ended with his head on Jim's shoulder – but when they really stopped dancing, it was much later that evening.

**Nine.**

Trust it to be their luck when it comes to the infamous aliens-made-them-do-it scenarios.

Well, there were many kinds of these scenarios – from sex, fights, strange rituals requiring virgins (he snorted at the thought – right, virgins on the _Enterprise_; that sounded like name for really bad porn), and strange rituals requiring even stranger talent shows…

Or rituals demanding affection.

Yes. So, it was him, Jim and the green-blooded computer, stuck on a planet, whose leader wanted them to show some affection. Spock himself quickly distanced himself as much as was possible for him, uncomfortable with any kind of public emotional displays, leaving him and Jim to help with the ritual. They had to pretend to be teenage girls – with all the touching and giggling.

It wasn't that they would be all ewww, you icky, get away from me. But still. Now no one will ever believe him when he says that he and Jim really are _not _a couple.

**Ten.**

The gossips started when he went on a date with Christine. He walked to the bar on the planet they had a shore leave on, Christine on his arm as they chatted, when he noticed some guys from the security sitting by the bar – immediately they give him very ugly looks, and ominous whispering follows him the whole way to their table.

He was almost 100% positive that he heard something about him and Captain, but then Christine said something and he turned his full attention back to her.

Jim joined them later for a short time, throwing his arm around Leonard's shoulder while giving Christine one of his (in)famous smiles (which totally did not work on her, as she spent way too much time around him in sickbay and during that time she became resistant to his flashy boy charm), as he told them funny story about what happened to him, Uhura, Spock and Chekov, when they went to local scientific museum.

The ominous whispering was back when he left, but surprisingly, not in the same intensity as when Leonard entered with Christine.

**Eleven.**

It became some kind of public secret that Leonard and Christine dated. What however remained a mystery to most people was how Jim Kirk fit into the whole picture, since he often seemed to be around those two.

"I think they are all together," was quite common thought, although it couldn't also be further from the truth.

Jim helped Bones t pick the perfect ring for his proposal to Christine, hugging the man around the shoulders as they browsed through the rings in the jewelry store, making the clerk look at them funny.

And the woman said yes, making Jim bounce all the way back to the _Enterprise_, when joyful Bones commed him to his room at the planet they were currently on for a bit of a shore leave.

He really looked forward to the wedding of his two best friends. So many things to plan – this wedding will be absolutely perfect, otherwise his name is not Kirk.

**Twelve.**

"It's such a pity I'm the one officiating your wedding, Bonesy," whined Jim, dressed in his most dress-y dress uniform, looking every way the Captain he was. "I would so love to walk you down the aisle!"

"Idiot," grumbled Leonard good-naturedly. Trust it to Jim to come up with that. A young voice interrupted them. "Uncle Jim, you couldn't walk him down the aisle even if you weren't marrying them – it's my job!"

Both men laughed. "You bet, Jo," Jim grinned, checking time on his watch. "Well, I better get ready in the chapel – see you in a few minutes!"

The wedding was, if Jim could say so himself, a work of marvel – he thought that he owed a favour to so many people he will be returning those favours for years to come. But seeing the wonder in the faces of newlyweds was worth it.

Even if Christine _did_ smack him with her bouquet for winking at Leonard when he was reciting the oaths. "It's my job to wink at him," she whispered to him with a conspiring wink later, as he whisked her away for a dance, privilege of being a Captain, as he dubbed it.

Years afterwards would Christine catch Leonard gazing at one particular picture from their wedding; both of them shining with happiness with Jim by their side, winking at whoever was holding the camera.

Their Jim, who was no more; disappearing in some strange space anomaly that took him away from them together with piece of _Enterprise-B_.


End file.
